Media Content Distribution

ABSTRACT

A method includes receiving media content at a media server and encoding the media content to form a first content stream. The method includes encoding an audio portion of the media content to form a second content stream having a first bit rate. The method includes causing the first content stream to be transmitted to a media device via a satellite distribution system and causing the second content stream to be concurrently transmitted to the media device via a terrestrial distribution system. The method includes receiving an indication of a disruption of the first content stream at the media device. The method also includes, after receiving the indication, causing a third content stream to be transmitted from the media server to the media device via the terrestrial distribution system. The third stream has a second bit rate greater than the first bit rate.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority from, and is a divisional of, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/945,036, filed on Nov. 18, 2015, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally related to media contentdistribution.

BACKGROUND

Satellite television service providers communicate media content tosubscribers using signals relayed via satellites. These satelliterelayed signals can be disrupted by storms or other distribution issues.If a satellite relayed signal is disrupted, the subscribers may not beable to receive media content or the media content received may havedegraded audio content or video content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system for media contentdistribution.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system for media contentdistribution.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an illustrative embodiment of a method of mediacontent distribution.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an illustrative embodiment of a method of mediacontent distribution.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an illustrative embodiment of a method of mediacontent distribution.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a generalcomputer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes automated content recovery systems andmethods for satellite-based video distribution. The automated contentrecovery system uses a terrestrial distribution system as a backupsystem for a satellite distribution system. The terrestrial distributionsystem may include wired connections, wireless connections, orcombinations thereof. The terrestrial distribution system may act as a“hot” backup system in that while the satellite distribution systemprovides a media content stream to a subscriber, the terrestrialdistribution system provides a subset of content of the media contentstream. Thus, if a signal from the satellite distribution system isdisrupted such that some of the content of the media content stream sentvia the satellite distribution system is lost, a signal from theterrestrial distribution system can be used immediately or nearlyimmediately to replace at least a portion of the lost content. Forexample, the signal from the satellite distribution system may includehigh definition video content and associated audio content. In thisexample, the signal from the terrestrial distribution system may includeonly the audio content (or a reduced bit-rate version of the audiocontent). Thus, the signal from the terrestrial distribution system mayhave a significantly lower bit rate than the signal from the satellitedistribution system. In this example, if a subscriber's media deviceloses the signal from the satellite distribution system, the mediadevice can generate audio output using the signal from the terrestrialdistribution system so that the subscriber is not left entirely withoutmedia content. Additionally, the media device can send a request (e.g.,via the terrestrial distribution system) for the terrestrialdistribution system to provide the video content of the media contentstream. Further, the terrestrial stream can add video and increase videoquality during the outage and then go back to using the satellite signalonce the disruption has ceased.

In a particular embodiment, a media server (or a set of media servers)at a head-end of a provider receives a content stream to be distributedvia a satellite distribution system. The media server processes thecontent stream to generate a first stream (e.g., a satellite stream) tobe distributed via the satellite distribution system and a second stream(e.g., a terrestrial stream) to be distributed as a backup stream viathe terrestrial distribution system. In a particular example, theterrestrial stream may be an audio-only stream encoded at a low bitrate. In other examples, the terrestrial stream (including audio and/orvideo) may be encoded using an adaptive bit rate (ABR) encodingtechnique such that multiple bit rate streams are generated.

The satellite stream and the terrestrial stream may be sent concurrentlyto subscribers. For example, a subscriber may cause a media device(e.g., a satellite receiver box) to receive a satellite channelassociated with the satellite stream by sending a channel change requestto the media device. In response to the channel change request, themedia device may decode a portion of the satellite stream that includesthe requested channel and may also send a request to the terrestrialdistribution system for the terrestrial stream corresponding to therequested channel.

The media device may be configured to process (e.g., decode, decrypt,etc.) the satellite stream to generate an output media content stream.For example, the output media content stream may include audio contentand video content, which may be sent to a display device for display.During normal viewing (e.g., when the satellite stream is notdisrupted), the media device receives but may not use the terrestrialstream. For example, the media device may buffer content of theterrestrial stream so that the content is available for immediate use,but may not generate an output based on the terrestrial stream. If themedia device detects disruption of the satellite stream (e.g., by astorm), the media device immediately or nearly immediately begins usingthe content of the terrestrial stream to generate output, which isprovided to a device (e.g., a display device or an audio output device)for presentation to the subscriber. Thus, when the satellite signal,which may be a relatively high bit rate stream, is not available or isnot reliable, the terrestrial signal, which may be a comparatively lowbit rate stream, may provide a portion of the content for display orplayback (e.g., audio may be provided to a speaker and/or visualinformation such as a signal disruption message may be provided to adisplay device).

Although the terrestrial stream may initially be a low bit rate stream(e.g., an audio-only stream), when the media device begins generatingoutput based on the terrestrial stream, the media device may request ahigher bit rate stream from the terrestrial distribution system. Anencoder associated with the terrestrial distribution system may encodethe higher bit rate stream and may send the higher bit rate stream tothe media device in response to the request. In a particular example,the encoder may use adaptive bit rate (ABR) encoding techniques togradually improve the quality (e.g., by increasing the bit rate) ofmedia content sent to the media device. For example, in response to therequest for a higher bit rate content stream, the encoder may send afirst content stream that includes the audio content and a low bit rateversion of the video content. Thus, the first content stream may have ahigher bit rate than the audio-only terrestrial stream but a lower bitrate than the satellite stream. After sending some content using thefirst content stream, the encoder may begin encoding and sending asecond content stream that includes the audio content and a higher bitrate version of the video content. Thus, the second content stream mayhave a higher bit rate than the first content stream but a lower bitrate than the satellite stream. Subsequently, the encoder may encode andsend additional content streams that include the audio content and evenhigher bit rate versions of the video content. Eventually, the contentstream sent via the terrestrial distribution system may have a bit ratethat equals or exceeds the bit rate of the satellite stream or thatsatisfies a bit rate limit of the terrestrial distribution system. Whilethe present disclosure describes an example of ABR encoding in thecontext of satellite receiver devices, the ABR encoding techniques couldalso be used for other devices, such as tablets and smartphones.

When the media device detects that the satellite signal is no longerdisrupted, the media device may switch back to processing and displayingmedia content of the satellite stream. Additionally, the media devicemay notify the terrestrial distribution system, which may revert tosending the low bit rate terrestrial signal (e.g., the audio-onlyversion of the media content).

In a particular embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a mediadevice, a content stream via a satellite distribution system (e.g., a“first content stream”), the first content stream including first mediacontent. While receiving the first content stream, the method includesreceiving, at the media device, another content stream via a terrestrialdistribution system (e.g., a “second content stream”). The secondcontent stream includes second media content corresponding to an audioportion of the first media content. The method also includes sending thefirst media content to a display device and detecting a disruption ofthe first content stream. The method further includes, after detectingthe disruption, sending the second media content to an audio outputdevice associated with or included within the display device.

In another embodiment, a media device includes a first receiver, asecond receiver, a processor, and a media interface. The first receiveris configured to receive a first content stream including first mediacontent via a satellite distribution system. The second receiver isconfigured to receive a second content stream via a terrestrialdistribution system while the first receiver is receiving the firstcontent stream. The second content stream includes second media contentcorresponding to an audio portion of the first media content. Theprocessor is configured to detect a disruption of the first contentstream. The media interface is configured to send the first mediacontent to a display device. The media interface is further configuredto send the second media content to an audio output device associatedwith or included within the display device in response to the processordetecting the disruption of the first content stream.

In yet another embodiment, a method includes receiving media content ata media server. The method includes encoding the media content to form afirst content stream and encoding an audio portion of the media contentto form a second content stream. The method includes causing the firstcontent stream to be transmitted from the media server to the mediadevice via a satellite distribution system and causing the secondcontent stream to be concurrently transmitted from the media server tothe media device via a terrestrial distribution system. The method alsoincludes receiving an indication of a disruption of the first contentstream. After receiving the indication, the method further includescausing a third content stream to be transmitted from the media serverto the media device via the terrestrial distribution system. The thirdcontent stream corresponds to a reduced bit rate version of the firstcontent stream transmitted via the satellite distribution system.

Referring to FIG. 1, a particular embodiment of a system for mediacontent distribution is illustrated and is generally designated 100. InFIG. 1, different content streams may be concurrently transmitted to amedia device 102 via a satellite distribution system 104 and aterrestrial distribution system 106. As described further herein, insome cases, in the event that the media device 102 detects a disruptionof a “primary” content stream transmission from the satellitedistribution system 104, the media device 102 may switch to an alternateaudio-only version of the disrupted content stream that is concurrentlytransmitted to the media device 102 via the terrestrial distributionsystem 106. As another example, the media device 102 may switch to a lowbit rate video stream that is available/buffered at the media device102, or the media device 102 may switch to an audio-only version of thedisrupted content stream then add the low bit rate video stream to forma media stream that includes audio and video. Alternatively oradditionally, in some cases, in the event that a media server 108receives an indication of a disruption of the primary content stream,the media server 108 may cause another content stream (e.g., a reducedbit rate version of the disrupted content stream) to be transmitted tothe media device 102 via the terrestrial distribution system 106. Ineither case, the availability of an alternative content streamtransmitted to the media device 102 via the terrestrial distributionsystem 106 may improve a customer experience in the event of satellitesignal disruption (e.g., in the event of a storm).

In the particular embodiment of FIG. 1, particular components of thesatellite distribution system 104 and the terrestrial distributionsystem 106 are illustrated. It will be appreciated that alternativeand/or additional components may be associated with the satellitedistribution system 104 and/or the terrestrial distribution system 106.In FIG. 1, a router 110 (e.g., a head-end component) is illustrated asbeing communicatively coupled to a satellite uplink system 112 that isconfigured to communicate with a satellite 114 (or multiple satellites)of the satellite distribution system 104. FIG. 1 shows that thesatellite 114 may be configured to send data to (and optionally receivedata from) a satellite receiver 116 (e.g., a satellite dish) at alocation associated with the media device 102. Additionally, the router110 is communicatively coupled to a content distribution network 118 ofthe terrestrial distribution system 106. The content distributionnetwork 118 may include wireline components, wireless components, or acombination thereof. To illustrate, FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative,non-limiting example where the terrestrial distribution system 106includes a wireless access component 120 for communication with themedia device 102. In other cases, content streams may be communicated tothe media device 102 via a wireline element (or element) such ascoaxial, fiber, twisted copper pair and/or a wireless element (orelements) of the terrestrial distribution system 106.

The media server 108 may be configured to receive media content from oneor more media content sources (not shown in FIG. 1). The media server108 may include an encoder 109 (or multiple encoders) that is configuredto encode the media content to form a first content stream 130. Thefirst content stream 130 may include first media content 132 thatincludes an audio portion 134 and a video portion 136. The encoder(s)109 may also be configured to encode the audio portion 134 of the firstmedia content 132 to form a second content stream 150. As describedfurther herein, the encoder(s) 109 may also be configured to encodevideo, as the media device 102 may initially request the audio-onlymedia stream, but the media device 102 may subsequently request videoand audio after failover. In some cases, the first content stream 130may have a first bit rate that is greater than a second bit rate of thesecond content stream 150. The second content stream 150 may includesecond media content 152 corresponding to the audio portion 134 of thefirst media content 132 (e.g., corresponding to the same audio or acompressed version of the audio). The media server 108 may be configuredto cause the first content stream 130 to be transmitted to the mediadevice 102 via the satellite distribution system 104 (e.g., via therouter 110, the satellite uplink system 112, the satellite 114, and thesatellite receiver 116). The media server 108 may be configured to causethe second content stream 150 to be concurrently transmitted to themedia device 102 via the terrestrial distribution system 106 (e.g., viathe content distribution network 118 that may include the wirelessaccess component 120). While one media server 108 and one encoder 109are illustrated in the example of FIG. 1, in other cases there may bemore than one media server, more than one encoder, or a combinationthereof. As an illustrative example, a stream may be split and providedto different media servers and/or encoders associated with the satellitedistribution system 104 and the terrestrial distribution system 106.

The media device 102 may be configured to receive the first contentstream 130 (including the first media content 132) via the satellitedistribution system 104. The media device 102 may also be configured toconcurrently receive the second content stream 150 via the terrestrialdistribution system 106. As illustrated and further described hereinwith respect to FIG. 2, in some cases, the media device 102 may includemultiple receivers configured to receive the content streams 130, 150.To illustrate, in some cases, the media device 102 may include a firstreceiver configured to receive data from the satellite receiver 116 anda second receiver (e.g., a wireline receiver or a wireless receiver)that is configured to receive data transmitted over the terrestrialdistribution system 106. The media device 102 may be configured toreceive the second content stream 150 via the terrestrial distributionsystem 106 while receiving the first content stream 130 via thesatellite distribution system 104.

The media device 102 may be configured to send at least the videoportion 136 of the first media content 132 to a display device 138. FIG.1 illustrates a particular embodiment in which the media device 102 isconfigured to send the audio portion 134 of the first media content 132to an audio output device 140 (e.g., a soundbar or a surround soundsystem) that is associated with the display device 138. In other cases,the audio output device 140 may be included within the display device138, and the media device 102 may be configured to send the audioportion 134 of the first media content 132 and the video portion 136 ofthe first media content 132 to the display device 138. The media device102 may be configured to discard or buffer the second content stream 150(e.g., without processing or generating output based on the secondcontent stream 150).

The media device 102 is configured to detect a disruption of the firstcontent stream 130. For example, as further described herein withrespect to FIG. 2, the disruption may be detected when a quantity ofdata that is buffered at a media buffer of the media device 102 fails tosatisfy a playback disruption threshold (e.g., a threshold associatedwith an unacceptable customer experience). Alternatively oradditionally, the disruption may be detected based on a quality level ofthe first content stream 130 (e.g., based on a signal-to-noise ratio,packet loss, etc.). After detecting the disruption, the media device 102is configured to send the second media content 150 (received via theterrestrial distribution system 106) to the audio output device 140associated with or included within the display device 138. The secondmedia content 150 may correspond to the audio portion 134 of the firstmedia content 132 (of the first content stream 130). As describedfurther herein, subsequent media content may also include video content,and the media device 102 may continue to request terrestrial streamsthat may or may not include video content.

After detecting the disruption, the media device 102 may be configuredto send a signal to a server associated with the terrestrialdistribution system 106. In the example of FIG. 1, the signal isillustrated as a disruption indicator message 160 that may betransmitted to a server (e.g., the media server 108) via the contentdistribution network 118 of the terrestrial distribution system 106.Responsive to the signal, the encoder 109 may send a third contentstream 154 to the media device 102. The third content stream 154 mayinclude third media content 155 corresponding to the first media content132. In some cases, the first content stream 130 may have a first bitrate that is greater than a third bit rate of the third content stream154. In some embodiments, the terrestrial distribution system 106 maysubsequently send a fourth content stream 156 to the media device 102(corresponding to the first media content 132 sent via the satellitedistribution system 104). The fourth content stream 156 may have afourth bit rate that is greater than a third bit rate of the thirdcontent. stream 154. While FIG. 1 illustrates an example of threeterrestrial content streams, more than three content streams may beavailable in some cases (e.g., 10-12 different content streams)corresponding to different encoded versions of the same channel/stream.Thus, the media device 102 may receive the third content stream 154 inresponse to the disruption message 160 and may subsequently receive thefourth content stream 156. The media device 102 may generate and provideoutput corresponding to the third content stream 154 and the fourthcontent stream 156 to the display device 138 and the audio output device140. To illustrate, in the event of an extended disruption of thesatellite signal (e.g., due to a lengthy/heavy rain storm), switching toa higher quality version of a content stream (e.g., the fourth contentstream 156) may provide an improved customer experience until thesatellite signal disruption is mitigated (e.g., after the storm).Further, the number and quality of the terrestrial streams may beincreased until the terrestrial bandwidth limit is reached.

In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the media device 102may be configured to detect a mitigation of the disruption. As furtherdescribed herein with respect to FIG. 2, in some cases, the media device102 may determine that the disruption has been mitigated based on anamount of buffered data satisfying a playback disruption threshold(e.g., a threshold for a satisfactory customer experience, such as novisual pauses/disruption of video playback or limited visualpauses/disruption of video playback). The media device 102 may beconfigured to resume sending media content included in the first contentstream 130 to the display device 138 after detecting the mitigation ofthe disruption. The media device 102 may also be configured to send asignal indicating the mitigation of the disruption to a serverassociated with the terrestrial distribution system 106. In the exampleof FIG. 1, the signal is illustrated as a mitigation message 162 thatmay be transmitted to a server (e.g., the media server 108) via thecontent distribution network 118 of the terrestrial distribution system106.

In operation, the media device 102 may receive the first content stream130 including the first media content 132 via the satellite distributionsystem 104. While receiving the first content stream 130, the mediadevice 102 may receive the second content stream 150 including thesecond media content 152 corresponding to the audio portion 134 of thefirst media content 132. In some cases, the first content stream 130 hasa first bit rate that is greater than a second bit rate of the secondcontent stream 150. The media device 102 sends at least the videoportion 136 of the first media content 132 to the display device 138(and the audio portion 134 of the first media content 132 when the audiooutput device 140 is included within the display device 138). The mediadevice 102 may detect a disruption of the first content stream 130.After detecting the disruption of the first content stream 130, themedia device 102 sends the second media content 152 (received via theterrestrial distribution system 106) to the audio output device 140associated with the display device 138 (or included within the displaydevice 138).

As described further herein with respect to FIG. 2, in some cases, themedia device 102 may buffer data received via the first content stream130 (e.g., at a media buffer). While sending the first media content 132to the display device 138, the media device 102 may monitor a quantityof buffered data. The media device 102 may detect a disruption of thefirst content stream 130 when the quantity of buffered data fails tosatisfy a playback disruption threshold (e.g., a threshold for asatisfactory customer experience). After detecting the disruption, themedia device 102 may send the disruption message 160 to a serverassociated with the terrestrial distribution system 106. While FIG. 1illustrates an example in which the disruption message 160 is sent tothe media server 108, in other cases, the disruption message 160 may besent to an alternative server associated with the terrestrialdistribution system 106. FIG. 1 illustrates that, responsive to sendingthe disruption message 160, the media device 102 may receive (e.g., fromthe media server 108) the third content stream 154 that includes thirdmedia content 155 corresponding to the first media content 132. Thefirst bit rate of the first content stream 130 may be greater than thethird bit rate of the third content stream 154. After receiving thethird content stream 154, the media device may receive (e.g., from themedia server 108) the fourth content stream 156 via the terrestrialdistribution system 106. The fourth content stream 156 may includefourth media content 157 corresponding to the first media content 132.The fourth content stream 156 may have a fourth bit rate that is greaterthan the third bit rate of the third content stream 154. As describedfurther herein, the third content stream 154 and/or the fourth contentstream 156 may also include video content.

The media device 102 may detect a mitigation of the disruption of thefirst content stream 130, and after detecting the mitigation, the mediadevice 102 may resume decoding/sending media content included in thefirst content stream 130 from the satellite distribution system 104 tothe display device 138. FIG. 1 illustrates that the media device 102 maysend the mitigation message 162 to the server associated with theterrestrial distribution system 106. The mitigation message 162 maycorrespond to a request for an audio-only stream (e.g., the secondcontent stream 150 or another ABR stream). The media server 108 resumessending the second content stream 150 to the media device 102 responsiveto the request.

Thus, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system in which multiplecontent streams are transmitted to a media device viasatellite/terrestrial distribution systems. In the event that the mediadevice detects a disruption of a satellite signal, the media device mayswitch to an alternate audio-only version of the disrupted contentstream that is concurrently transmitted via the terrestrial distributionsystem. Alternatively or additionally, in some cases, the media devicemay receive another content stream including audio and/or video (e.g., areduced bit rate version of the disrupted content stream) via theterrestrial distribution system. In either case, the availability of analternative content stream transmitted to the media device via theterrestrial distribution system may improve a customer experience byproviding at least an audio-only version of a disrupted content streamin the event of satellite signal disruption (e.g., in the event of astorm).

Referring to FIG. 2, a particular embodiment of a system for mediacontent distribution is illustrated and is generally designated 200.FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of particular components of the mediadevice 102 of FIG. 1. In the example of FIG. 2, the media device 102includes a first receiver 202 for receiving a primary content stream(e.g., a high bit rate version of media content) via the satellitedistribution system 104 and a second receiver 204 for receiving analternate content stream (e.g., a low bit rate version of the mediacontent) via the terrestrial distribution system 106. As describedfurther herein, the availability of an alternative content stream thatis concurrently transmitted to the media device 102 via the terrestrialdistribution system 106 may improve a customer experience by providingat least an audio-only version of a disrupted content stream in theevent of satellite signal disruption (e.g., in the event of a storm).

In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the first receiver202 is configured to receive the first content stream 130 (including thefirst media content 132, as shown in FIG. 1) via the satellitedistribution system 104, and the second receiver 204 is configured toreceive the second content stream 150 (including the second mediacontent 152 corresponding to the first media content 132, as shown inFIG. 1) via the terrestrial distribution system 106. As describedfurther herein, in some cases, the first content stream 130 and thesecond content stream 150 are sent to the media device 102 or processedby the media device 102 responsive to a channel change request 240. Insome cases, the first content stream 130 may be encoded at a first bitrate, and the second content stream 150 may be encoded at a second bitrate that is less than the first bit rate.

In the example of FIG. 2, the media device 102 further includes aprocessor 206, a media interface 208, and a memory 210. The processor206 may be configured to decode, decrypt, and/or otherwise process mediastreams into a format for output via the media interface 208 to thedisplay device 138 and/or the audio output device 140. The processor 206is configured to detect a disruption of the first content stream 130 andprocess the second content stream 150 in response to detecting thedisruption. The processor 206 is configured to output the first contentstream 130 and discard or buffer the second content stream 150 when thefirst content stream 130 is available. The media interface 208 isconfigured to send the first media content 132 (included in the firstcontent stream 130, as shown in FIG. 1) to the display device 138. Themedia interface 208 is further configured to send the second mediacontent 152 (included in the second content stream 150, as shown inFIG. 1) to the audio output device 140 in response to detecting thedisruption of the first content stream 130. While FIG. 2 illustrates anexample in which the audio output device 140 is a separate device fromthe display device 138, in other cases, the audio output device 140 maybe included within the display device 138.

FIG. 2 illustrates that the media device 102 may include a transceiver220 that includes the second receiver 204 and a transmitter 222. Thetransmitter 222 may be configured to send a signal (illustrated as thedisruption message 160) to a server (e.g., the media server 108)associated with the terrestrial distribution system 106 in response todetecting the disruption of the first content stream 130. The secondreceiver 204 may be configured to receive the third content stream 154via the terrestrial distribution system 106 after the disruption message160 is sent. As described further herein with respect to FIG. 1, thethird content stream 154 may include third media content 155 (e.g.,audio and/or video) that corresponds to the first media content 132(included in the first content stream 130, as shown in FIG. 1). As anexample, the first content stream 130 may have a first bit rate that isgreater than a third bit rate of the third content stream 154. FIG. 2further illustrates that the second receiver 204 may be configured toreceive the fourth content stream 156 after receiving the third contentstream 154. As described further herein with respect to FIG. 1, thefourth content stream 156 may include fourth media content 157 (e.g.,audio and/or video) that corresponds to the first media content 132(included in the first content stream 130, as shown in FIG. 1). Thefourth content stream 156 may have a fourth bit rate that is greaterthan the third bit rate (of the third content stream 154). Toillustrate, in the event of an extended disruption of the satellitesignal (e.g., due to a lengthy/heavy rain storm), switching to a higherquality version of a content stream (e.g., the fourth content stream156) may provide an improved customer experience until the satellitesignal disruption is mitigated (e.g., after the storm).

The processor 206 may be configured to detect a mitigation of thedisruption and to cause the media interface 208 to resume sending thefirst media content 132 (included in the first content stream 130, asshown in FIG. 1) to the display device 138 based on detecting themitigation of the disruption. FIG. 2 illustrates that the transmitter222 may be further configured to send a second signal (e.g., themitigation message 162) to the server associated with the terrestrialdistribution network 106 responsive to the processor 206 detecting themitigation of the disruption.

In a particular embodiment, the media buffer 212 is configured to bufferdata received via the first content stream 130. The processor 206 may beconfigured to monitor a quantity of data 230 that is buffered at themedia buffer 212 while the first media content 132 (included in thefirst content stream 130, as shown in FIG. 1) is being sent to thedisplay device 138. To illustrate, a playback disruption threshold 232(e.g., associated with a satisfactory customer experience) may be storedat the memory 210, and the processor 206 may be configured to detect thedisruption when the quantity of data 230 corresponding to buffered data234 stored at the media buffer 212 fails to satisfy the playbackdisruption threshold 232. Similarly, the processor 206 may be configuredto detect the mitigation of the disruption when the quantity of data 230corresponding to the buffered data 234 stored at the media buffer 212satisfies the playback disruption threshold 232. Additionally, there maybe different thresholds for disruption and mitigation. Alternatively,the media device 102 may detect a disruption based on other metrics suchas a signal-to-noise ratio or packet loss, among other alternatives.

Thus, FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200 of media content distribution inwhich multiple content streams are transmitted to a media device viasatellite/terrestrial distribution systems. In the event that the mediadevice detects a disruption of a satellite signal, the media device mayswitch to an alternate audio-only version of the disrupted contentstream that is concurrently transmitted via the terrestrial distributionsystem. Alternatively or additionally, in some cases, the media devicemay receive another content stream (e.g., a reduced bit rate version ofthe disrupted content stream) via the terrestrial distribution system.In either case, the availability of an alternative content streamtransmitted to the media device via the terrestrial distribution systemmay improve a customer experience by providing at least an audio-onlyversion of a disrupted content stream in the event of satellite signaldisruption (e.g., in the event of a storm).

Referring to FIG. 3, a particular embodiment of a method of mediacontent distribution is illustrated and is generally designated 300. Themethod 300 may be performed by a media server, such as the media server108 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 3 illustrates that a media server maycause content streams to be concurrently transmitted to a media devicevia a satellite distribution system and a terrestrial distributionsystem. In the event that the media server receives an indication of adisruption of a content stream that is transmitted via the satellitedistribution system, the media server may cause another content stream(e.g., a reduced bit rate version of the disrupted content stream) to betransmitted to the media device via the terrestrial distribution system.While the alternate content stream having the reduced bit rate may be alower quality stream, the ability to transmit the alternate stream inthe event of disruption of the higher quality stream may improve acustomer experience by providing at least an audio-only version of adisrupted content stream in the event of satellite signal disruption(e.g., in the event of a storm).

The method 300 includes receiving media content at a media server, at302. For example, the media server 108 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may receivemedia content from one or more media content sources (not shown). Themethod 300 includes encoding the media content to form a first contentstream, at 304. For example, the media server 108 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2may encode the first media content 132 to form the first content stream130 for transmission to the media device 102 via the satellitedistribution system 104. The method 300 includes encoding an audioportion of the media content to form a second content stream, at 306.For example, the media server 108 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may encode theaudio portion 134 of the first media content 132 to form the secondcontent stream 150 for transmission to the media device 102 via theterrestrial distribution system 106.

The method 300 includes causing the first content stream and the secondcontent stream to be transmitted from the media server to a mediadevice, at 308. The first content stream is transmitted via a satellitedistribution system, and the second content stream is transmittedconcurrently via a terrestrial distribution system. For example,referring to FIG. 1, the satellite 114 may transmit or relay the firstcontent stream 130 (including the audio portion 134 and the videoportion 136) received from the media server 108 via the satellite uplinksystem 112 to the media device 102. The media server 108 may cause thesecond content stream 150 (including the audio portion 134) to beconcurrently transmitted to the media device 102 via the contentdistribution network 118 (that may include the wireless component 120).As another example, referring to FIG. 2, the media server 108 may causethe first content stream 130 to be transmitted to the first receiver 202of the media device 102, and the media server 108 may cause the secondcontent stream 150 to be transmitted to the second receiver 204 of themedia device 102.

The method 300 includes receiving an indication of a disruption of thefirst content stream, at 310. For example, referring to FIG. 1, themedia server 108 may receive the disruption message 160 from the mediadevice 102 via the content distribution network 118 of the terrestrialdistribution system 106. As another example, referring to FIG. 2, themedia server 108 may receive the disruption message 160 that istransmitted by the transmitter 222 of the media device 102 via theterrestrial distribution system 106. The disruption message 160 mayrepresent a request for another ABR stream from the media server 108. Insome cases, the media server 108 may encode the media content associatedwith the disrupted content stream to form another content stream, andthe media server 108 may send the other content stream in response toreceiving the indication of the disruption.

After receiving the indication of the disruption, at 310, the method 300includes causing a third content stream to be transmitted from the mediaserver to the media device via the terrestrial distribution system, at312. The third content stream corresponds to a reduced bit rate versionof the first content stream transmitted via the satellite distributionsystem. For example, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, after receiving thedisruption message 160, the media server 108 may cause the third contentstream 154 to be transmitted to the media device 102 via the terrestrialdistribution system 106. As described further herein with respect toFIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the third content stream 154 may correspond to areduced bit rate version of the first content stream 130 that istransmitted via the satellite distribution system 104. Although notillustrated in FIG. 3, the media server 108 may send additional streamsat different bit rates and may stop sending the reduced bit rateversion(s) in response to mitigation of the disruption.

Thus, FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method of media contentdistribution that includes concurrent transmission of content streamsfrom a media server to a media device via a satellite distributionsystem and a terrestrial distribution system. In the event of adisruption of a content stream transmitted to the media device via thesatellite distribution system, a reduced bit rate version of thedisrupted content stream may be transmitted to the media device via theterrestrial distribution system. Thus, the different contentdistribution systems may improve a customer experience by providing atleast an audio-only version of a disrupted content stream in the eventof a satellite signal transmission disruption (e.g., in the event of astorm).

Referring to FIG. 4, a particular embodiment of a method of mediacontent distribution is illustrated and is generally designated 400. Themethod 400 may be performed by the media device 102 of FIG. 1 and FIG.2. In FIG. 4, a media device may receive different versions of a contentstream via different distribution systems (e.g., a satellitedistribution system and a terrestrial distribution system). In the eventthat the media device detects a disruption of a content streamtransmission from the satellite distribution system, the media devicemay switch to an alternate audio-only version of the disrupted contentstream that is transmitted to the media device via the terrestrialdistribution system. Thus, the availability of different content streamsfrom different content distribution systems may improve a customerexperience by providing at least an audio-only version of a disruptedcontent stream in the event of a satellite signal transmissiondisruption (e.g., in the event of a storm).

The method 400 includes receiving, at a media device, a first contentstream, at 402. The first content stream includes first media contentand is received via a satellite distribution system. For example, themedia device 102 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may receive the first contentstream 130 that includes the first media content 132 via the satellitedistribution system 104.

The method 400 includes receiving a second content stream at the mediadevice while receiving the first content stream, at 404. The secondcontent stream includes second media content corresponding to an audioportion of the first media content and is received via a terrestrialdistribution system. For example, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, themedia device 102 may receive the second content stream 150 via theterrestrial distribution system 106 while receiving the first contentstream 130 via the satellite distribution system 104. FIG. 1 illustratesthat the second content stream 150 includes the second media content 152corresponding to the audio portion 134 of the first media content 132.

The method 400 includes sending the first media content to a displaydevice, at 406. For example, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mediadevice 102 may send the video portion 136 of the first media content 132to the display device 138. While FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate an examplein which the media device 102 sends the audio portion 134 of the firstmedia content 130 to the audio output device 140 that is separate fromthe display device 138 (e.g., a soundbar), in other cases, the mediadevice 102 may send the audio portion 134 to an audio output device thatis included within the display device 138 (e.g., a speaker within ahousing of a television).

The method 400 includes detecting a disruption of the first contentstream, at 408. For example, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mediadevice 102 may detect a disruption of the first content stream 130. Asdescribed further herein with respect to FIG. 2, in some cases, thedisruption may be detected based on an amount of the buffered data 234at the media buffer 212 failing to satisfy the playback disruptionthreshold 232. In the examples illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, themedia device 102 may generate the disruption message 160 in response todetecting the disruption of the first content stream 130.

After detecting the disruption, at 408, the method 400 includes sendingthe second media content to an audio output device associated with orincluded within the display device, at 410. For example, referring toFIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the media device 102 may send the second mediacontent 152 corresponding to the audio portion 134 of the first mediacontent 132 to the audio output device 140. As described herein, whileFIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate an example in which the audio output device140 is a separate device from the display device 138, in other cases, anaudio output device may be included within the display device 138.Although not illustrated in FIG. 4, the method 400 could also includesending different content from other content streams (e.g., the thirdcontent stream 154 and the fourth content stream 156) to the displaydevice 138 and/or the audio output device 140.

Thus, FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a method of sending differentmedia content to a display device (or an audio output device includedwithin the display device) that is received at a media device viadifferent content distribution systems. In the event that the mediadevice detects a disruption of a content stream transmission from asatellite distribution system, the media device may switch to analternate, audio-only version of the disrupted content streamtransmitted to the media device via the terrestrial distribution system.Thus, FIG. 4 illustrates that the availability of different contentstreams from different content distribution systems may improve acustomer experience by providing at least an audio-only version of adisrupted content stream in the event of a satellite signal transmissiondisruption (e.g., in the event of a storm).

Referring to FIG. 5, a particular embodiment of a method of mediacontent distribution is illustrated and is generally designated 500. Themethod 500 may be performed by the media device 102 of FIG. 1 and FIG.2. In FIG. 5, a media device may receive different versions of a contentstream via different distribution systems (e.g., a satellitedistribution system and a terrestrial distribution system). In the eventthat the media device detects a disruption of a content streamtransmission from the satellite distribution system, the media devicemay switch to an alternate audio-only version of the disrupted contentstream that is transmitted to the media device via the terrestrialdistribution system. Thus, the availability of different content streamsfrom different content distribution systems may improve a customerexperience by providing at least an audio-only version of a disruptedcontent stream in the event of a satellite signal transmissiondisruption (e.g., in the event of a storm).

In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the method 500includes receiving a channel change request at the media device, at 502.For example, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102 may receive thechannel change request 240 via the user interface device 214.Additionally, in response to the channel change request 240, the mediadevice 102 may decode a portion of a satellite signal for a requestedchannel and may send a request for content associated with the requestedchannel to the terrestrial distribution system 106.

The method 500 includes receiving a first content stream via a satellitedistribution system, at 504. The first content stream includes firstmedia content. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102may receive the first content stream 130 (including the first mediacontent 132) via the satellite distribution system 104. The media device102 may discard or buffer (but not process) the second content stream150 while the first content stream 130 is being used.

The method 500 includes receiving a second content stream whilereceiving the first content stream, at 506. The second content streamincludes second media content corresponding to an audio portion of thefirst media content and is received via a terrestrial distributionsystem. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102 mayreceive the second content stream 150 (including the second mediacontent 152) via the terrestrial distribution system 106 while receivingthe first content stream 130 via the satellite distribution system 104.

The method 500 includes buffering data received via the first contentstream at a media buffer, at 508. For example, referring to FIG. 2, themedia device 102 may buffer data received via the first content stream130 at the media buffer 212 (shown as the buffered data 234).

The method 500 includes sending the first media content to a displaydevice, at 510. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102may send the first media content 132 to the display device 138 via themedia interface 208 (e.g., using a high-definition multimedia interface(HDMI) cable or other media output cable).

The method 500 includes monitoring a quantity of data buffered at themedia buffer while sending the first media content to the displaydevice, at 512. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102may monitoring the quantity of data buffered at the media buffer 212(shown as the buffered data 234 in FIG. 2) while sending the first mediacontent 132 to the display device 138.

The method 500 includes detecting a disruption of the first contentstream, at 514. In a particular embodiment, the disruption may bedetected based on the quantity of data that is buffered at a mediabuffer of the media device failing to satisfy a playback disruptionthreshold. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102 maydetect a disruption of the first content stream 130 based on thebuffered data 234 at the media buffer 212 failing to satisfy theplayback disruption threshold 232 stored at the memory 210.

The method 500 includes, in response to detecting the disruption,sending the second media content to an audio output device associatedwith the display device, at 516. For example, referring to FIG. 2, themedia device 102 may send the second media content 152 to the audiooutput device 140 associated with the display device 138 via the mediainterface 208. As described herein, FIG. 2 illustrates an example inwhich the audio output device 140 is a separate device from the displaydevice 138. In other cases, an audio output device may be includedwithin the display device 138.

The method 500 also includes, in response to detecting the disruption,sending a signal to a server associated with the terrestrialdistribution system, at 518. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the mediadevice 102 may send the disruption message 160 to the media server 108associated with the terrestrial distribution system 106.

The method 500 includes receiving one or more other content streamscorresponding to the first media content via the terrestrialdistribution system, at 520. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the mediadevice 102 may receive the third content stream 154 (including audioand/or video corresponding to the first media content 132). As anotherexample, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102 may receive thefourth content stream 156 (including audio and/or video corresponding tothe first media content 132).

The method 500 includes detecting a mitigation of the disruption, at522. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102 may detect amitigation of the disruption based on the buffered data 234 stored atthe media buffer 212 satisfying the playback disruption threshold 232.

The method 500 includes, in response to detecting the mitigation,sending a signal indicating the mitigation of the disruption to a serverassociated with the terrestrial distribution system, at 524. Forexample, referring to FIG. 2, the media device 102 may send themitigation message 162 to the media server 108 associated with theterrestrial distribution system 106. In the example of FIG. 2, the mediadevice 102 includes the transceiver 220 that includes the transmitter222, and the transmitter 222 may be used to send the mitigation message162 to the media server 108.

After sending the signal indicating the mitigation of the disruption, at524, FIG. 5 illustrates that the method 500 may return to 510, where thefirst media content may be sent to the display device. For example,referring to FIG. 2, after sending the mitigation message 162, the mediadevice 102 may resume sending the first media content 132 to the displaydevice 138. The media device 102 may resume receiving, discarding,and/or buffering content streams received from the terrestrialdistribution system 106.

Thus, FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a method of sending differentmedia content to a display device (or an audio output device includedwithin the display device) that is received at a media device viadifferent content distribution systems. In the event that the mediadevice detects a disruption of a content stream transmission from asatellite distribution system (e.g., based on a quantity of buffereddata failing to satisfy a playback threshold), the media device mayswitch to an alternate, audio-only version of the disrupted contentstream transmitted to the media device via the terrestrial distributionsystem. Thus, FIG. 5 illustrates that the availability of differentcontent streams from different content distribution systems may improvea customer experience by providing at least an audio-only version of adisrupted content stream in the event of a satellite signal transmissiondisruption (e.g., in the event of a storm).

Referring to FIG. 6, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem is shown and is designated 600. The computer system 600 includesa set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computer system600 to perform any one or more of the methods or computer basedfunctions disclosed herein. The computer system 600 may operate as astandalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to othercomputer systems or peripheral devices. For example, the computer system600 may include or be included within any one or more of the mediadevice 102 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 or the media server 108 of FIG. 1.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 600 may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-clientuser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 600 may alsobe implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as a mobiledevice, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, acommunications device, a wireless telephone, a personal computer (PC), atablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an endpoint device, a webappliance, or any other machine capable of executing a set ofinstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine. In a particular embodiment, the computer system 600 maybe implemented using electronic devices that provide video, audio, ordata communication. Further, while a single computer system 600 isillustrated, the term “system” shall also be taken to include anycollection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointlyexecute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or morecomputer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the computer system 600 may include aprocessor 602, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or both. For example, the processor 602 mayinclude or correspond to the processor 206 of the media device 102 ofFIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (with the processor 206 shown in the detailed view ofthe media device 102 illustrated in FIG. 2) or a processor of the mediaserver 108 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Moreover, the computer system 600 mayinclude a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, which can communicatewith each other via a bus 608. For example, the main memory 604 mayinclude or correspond to the memory 210 of the media device 102 of FIG.1 and FIG. 2 (with the memory 210 shown in the detailed view of themedia device 102 illustrated in FIG. 2) or a memory of the media server108 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

As shown, the computer system 600 may further include a video displayunit 610, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode(LED) display, a touch screen display, a flat panel display, or a solidstate display. For example, the video display unit 610 may correspond tothe display device 138 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Additionally, the computersystem 600 may include an input device 612, such as a remote controldevice or a keyboard, and a cursor control device 614, such as a mouse.For example, the input device 612 may correspond to a remote controldevice that sends a signal (e.g., the channel change request 240) to themedia device 102 via the user interface device 214 of FIG. 2. As anotherexample, the user interface device 214 may correspond to another inputdevice (e.g., one or more channel change buttons) that may be includedwithin the media device 102. In some embodiments, the input device 612and the cursor control device 614 may be integrated into a singledevice, such as a capacitive touch screen input device. The computersystem 600 may also include a signal generation device 618, such as aspeaker, and a network interface device 620. For example, the signalgeneration device 618 may correspond to an audio output device that isassociated with or included within the video display unit 610. Toillustrate, the signal generation device 618 may correspond to a speakerincluded within the display device 138 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 or a speakerassociated with the display device (e.g., the audio output device 140illustrated as a separate device in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). Some computersystems 600 may not include an input device (e.g., a server may notinclude an input device).

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 6, the device 600 mayinclude computer-readable storage 622 in which one or more sets ofinstructions 624, e.g. software, can be embedded. The computer-readablestorage 622 may be random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM),electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), register(s), solid-state memory,hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM),other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, magnetic storagedevices, or any other storage device that can be used to store programcode in the form of instructions or data and that can be accessed by acomputer and/or a processor. Computer-readable storage is not a signal.Further, the instructions 624 may embody one or more of the methods orlogic as described herein. The instructions 624 may be executable by theprocessor 602 to perform one or more functions or methods describedherein (illustrated as “satellite/terrestrial distribution systemdisruption mitigation logic in FIG. 6), such as one or more of themethods 300, 400, 500 described with reference to FIGS. 3-5. In aparticular embodiment, the instructions 624 may reside completely, or atleast partially, within the main memory 604, the static memory 606,and/or within the processor 602 during execution by the computer system600. The main memory 604 and the processor 602 also may include acomputer-readable storage device.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, may be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Various embodiments may include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).Accordingly, the present system encompasses software, fiimware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system, a processor, or a device, which mayinclude forms of instructions embodied as a state machine implementedwith logic components in an ASIC or a field programmable gate array(FPGA) device. Further, in an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment,implementations may include distributed processing, component/objectdistributed processing, and parallel processing. Alternatively, virtualcomputer system processing may be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods or functionality as described herein. It is further notedthat a computing device, such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations may perform such operations directly or indirectly by way ofone or more intermediate devices directed by the computing device.

The present disclosure includes computer-readable storage 622 thatstores instructions 624, so that a device connected to a network 628 maycommunicate voice, video or data over the network 628. While thecomputer-readable storage 622 is shown to be a single device, thecomputer-readable storage 622 may include a single device or multipledevices, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/orassociated caches and servers that store one or more sets ofinstructions. The computer-readable storage 622 is capable of storing aset of instructions for execution by a processor to cause a computersystem to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosedherein. For example, the computer-readable storage device 622 may storeinstructions for execution by a processor to cause a computer system toperform one or more of the methods 300, 400, 500 described withreference to FIGS. 3-5.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable storage 622 may include a solid-state memory such asembedded memory (or a memory card or other package that houses one ormore non-volatile read-only memories). Further, the computer-readablestorage 622 may be a random access memory or other volatile re-writablememory. Additionally, the computer-readable storage 622 may include amagneto-optical or optical device, such as a disk or tapes or otherstorage device. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include anyone or more of a computer-readable storage device and other equivalentsand successor devices, in which data or instructions may be stored.

Although the one or more components and functions may be describedherein as being implemented with reference to particular standards orprotocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Such standards are from time-to-time superseded by faster ormore efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions.Wireless standards for device detection, short-range communications, andlong-range communications can be used by the computer system 600 inselected embodiments.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale.Accordingly, the disclosure and the figures are to be regarded asillustrative rather than restrictive.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.

Less than all of the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order unlessexpressly stated. The use of the terms first, second, third and soforth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components, steps orfunctions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, one or moredevices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be implemented as multipleprocessors, which can include distributed processors or parallelprocessors in a single machine or multiple machines. The processor canbe used in supporting a virtual processing environment. The virtualprocessing environment may support one or more virtual machinesrepresenting computers, servers, or other computing devices. In suchvirtual machines (e.g., virtual servers), components such asmicroprocessors and storage devices may be virtualized or logicallyrepresented. The processor can include a state machine, an applicationspecific integrated circuit, and/or a programmable gate array (PGA)including a FPGA. In one or more embodiments, when a processor executesinstructions to perform “operations”, this can include the processorperforming the operations directly and/or facilitating, directing, orcooperating with another device or component to perform the operations.

The Abstract is provided with the understanding that it will not be usedto interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition,in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may be groupedtogether or described in a single embodiment for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter may be directed toless than all of the features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus,the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimedsubject matter.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall withinthe scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to the maximum extent allowedby law, the scope of the present disclosure is to be determined by thebroadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and theirequivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoingdetailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving media content at amedia server; encoding the media content to form a first content stream;encoding an audio portion of the media content to form a second contentstream having a first bit rate; causing the first content stream to betransmitted from the media server to a media device via a satellitedistribution system and causing the second content stream to beconcurrently transmitted from the media server to the media device via aterrestrial distribution system; receiving, at the media server from themedia device, a first indication of a disruption of the first contentstream; and after receiving the first indication, causing a thirdcontent stream to be transmitted from the media server to the mediadevice via the terrestrial distribution system, the third content streamhaving a second bit rate greater than the first bit rate.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising encoding the media content to form thethird content stream, the third content stream comprising the audioportion and a video portion of the media content.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising: receiving a second indication of an end of thedisruption; and sending the second content stream to the media devicevia the terrestrial distribution system responsive to the secondindication.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second indication isreceived via the terrestrial distribution system.
 5. The method of claim1, further comprising transmitting a fourth content stream of the mediacontent to the media device, the fourth content stream having a thirdbit rate greater than the second bit rate, the third bit ratecorresponding to a particular bit rate of the first content stream, abit rate limit of the terrestrial distribution system, or both.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising receiving, via the terrestrialdistribution system a request for the media content.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the second content stream corresponds to a firstadaptive bit rate stream of the media content.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the third content stream corresponds to a second adaptive bitrate stream of the media content.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein thesecond content stream comprises a compressed version of audio of thefirst content stream.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstindication is received via the terrestrial distribution system.
 11. Amedia server comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to theprocessor, the memory including instructions executable by the processorto perform operations including: receiving a request for media contentfrom a media device, the media content corresponding to a first contentstream sent via a satellite distribution system to the media device;causing transmission of an audio content stream to the media device viaa terrestrial distribution system responsive to the request, the audiocontent stream comprising audio content of the media content, whereinthe second content stream enables the media device to change from thefirst content stream to the audio content stream responsive todisruption of the first content stream at the media device; receiving afirst indication, the first indication corresponding to a disruption ofthe first content stream at the media device; and in response to thefirst indication, causing a change from transmission of the audiocontent stream via the terrestrial distribution system to transmissionof a second content stream of the media content to the media device viathe terrestrial distribution system, the second content stream includingvideo content and audio content of the media content.
 12. The mediaserver of claim 11, further comprising an interface to the satellitedistribution system.
 13. The media server of claim 11, furthercomprising an interface to the terrestrial distribution system.
 14. Themedia server of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:receiving a second indication, the second indication indicative of anend to the disruption of the first content stream at the media device;and causing a return to transmission of the audio content stream to themedia device via the terrestrial distribution system.
 15. The mediaserver of claim 11, wherein the second content stream corresponds to afirst bit rate, and further comprising changing from the second contentstream to a third content stream with a higher bit rate than the firstbit rate.
 16. A computer-readable storage device storing instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to performoperations comprising: receiving a request for media content from amedia device, the media content corresponding to a first content streamsent via a satellite distribution system to the media device; causingtransmission of an audio content stream to the media device via aterrestrial distribution system responsive to the request, the audiocontent stream comprising audio content of the media content, whereinthe second content stream enables the media device to change from thefirst content stream to the audio content stream responsive todisruption of the first content stream at the media device; receiving afirst indication of a disruption of the first content stream at themedia device; and in response to the first indication, causing a changefrom transmission of the audio content stream via the terrestrialdistribution system to transmission of a second content stream of themedia content to the media device via the terrestrial distributionsystem, the second content stream including video content and audiocontent of the media content.
 17. The computer-readable storage deviceof claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a secondindication, the second indication indicative of an end to the disruptionof the first content stream at the media device; and causing a return totransmission of the audio content stream to the media device via theterrestrial distribution system.
 18. The computer-readable storagedevice of claim 16, wherein the audio content stream and the secondcontent stream comprise adaptive bit rate streams, and wherein aparticular bit rate associated with the audio content stream is lowerthan a bit rate associated with the second content stream.
 19. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the firstindication is received via the terrestrial distribution system.
 20. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the audio contentstream comprises a compressed version of audio of the first contentstream.